"The world’s largest ocean, the Pacific is home to close to 25,000 islands and bordered by five continents. Nations extremely important to contemporary global affairs—the United States, Russia, Japan, China, and Australia—all touch the Pacific and have competing interests in the region. France and the United Kingdom still maintain Pacific island possessions. The history of the Pacific is a complex and multi-layered one, consisting of pre-contact Native histories, multiple stages of European colonization (Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, British, German, and French), Japanese occupation of the central, western, and southwestern Pacific between 1914-1947, and the largely American Pacific of the latter half of the twentieth century. Today, the Pacific is a geopolitical chessboard with China, Australia, and the United States as the major players, and wedged between them are the Pacific Island nations who hope to leverage the frictions between these players to benefit their own nations. With China’s increased presence in the Pacific, and America’s declaration of an “Asia Pivot,” a detailed and nuanced understanding of the historical, cultural, economic, and diplomatic currents undergirding the region becomes more important than ever. By the end of this course, students will: 1. Have a better understanding of the various indigenous peoples who populate the Pacific, and how their cultures and livelihoods have been altered by colonial- and post-colonial policies 2. Gain a better understanding of the concept of “geopolitics,” i.e. the idea that geographical features and geographical/geological/climactic changes can affect political outcomes and have global ramifications 3. Become familiar with indigenous self-determination and decolonization movements throughout the Pacific 4. Become familiar with humanistic (i.e. non-social science) approaches to understanding international relations "